Sydneysiders struggling back to work and school this week are likely to get little early relief - particularly overnight - from the city's record-breaking heat.
On Monday, the temperature climbed back into the 30s for the city, reaching 34.3 degrees before 1 pm. Some inland suburbs have topped 43 degrees, with Badgerys Creek and Richmond both touching 43.3 degrees and Camden 43.2 degrees, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
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Heatwave, fire ban as students return to school
Students face an uncomfortable start to the school year as hot and dry conditions will persist this week, according to Weatherzone senior meteorologist Rob Sharpe.
The mercury in Sydney is likely to rise to 36 degrees on Tuesday in the city, before a cool change sweeps away some of the warmth by the middle of the day, Rob Sharpe, a meteorologist with Weatherzone, said.
In between, the city can expect another sweltering night, with the minimum temperature likely to dip only to 26-27 degrees across the Sydney Basin.
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For the whole of the coming week, overnight lows are likely average 23 degrees or warmer, about 4 degrees hotter than usual for this time of year, Mr Sharpe said.
"It's going to be difficult for people to cool down their homes," he said. "There's a fair bit of moisture around in the air which is not allowing temperatures to fall very much."
The fire danger is also on the rise, with most of NSW facing "severe" risks and total-fire bans on Monday, and the bureau issuing a fire weather warning for 10 areas.
Records in play
On the current forecasts, Sydney will easily break the record for its warmest January for both minimum and mean temperatures, while maximums should be a close run thing to beat the average high set in 1896 of 29.5 degrees.
Sydney's mean temperatures - which average out day and night results - may beat the previous January record set in 1991 by as much a whole degree. "It's quite a rare feat," Mr Sharpe said.
After notching a record hot year in 2016, the Harbour City is also on course for its hottest summer after recording its second-warmest December and going one better in January.
February can expect more of the same, with Sydney's temperatures headed back to the mid-30s or even 40s by the weekend and early next week, Mr Sharpe said.
Richmond, on the city's north-west fringe, reached 40 degrees for a record sixth time in January on Monday, with a similar result possible on Tuesday to close out an "exceptional" month, he said.
Its previous high was five such days in the month set in 2003, and seven such days for the summer as a whole, set in 1939-40 and 1979-80, the bureau said.
(See bureau chart below showing some of the state's hots spots on Monday.)
On current forecasts, Richmond may collect another couple of 40-degree days over the coming weekend, with 43 tipped for Sunday.
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